The camera was attached to the PLA’s hydrographic surveying vessel Yantlet, which journeyed 30 miles up and down the river from Woolwich to Richmond. The camera is a 4ft, 40lbs backpack, fitted with a 15-angle lens camera that takes 360-degree pictures every 2.5 seconds. It is designed to capture images that the Street View car and Trike, a tricycle-based camera system, can not typically reach, such as narrow pathways and now waterways.

Google first used the technology to capture images of the rough, rocky terrain of the Grand Canyon, and recently started capturing the extensive canal network across the UK.

John Pinder, the PLA’s port hydrographer, said:
“It’s great that people across the world will now be able to take a virtual journey down the Thames, enjoying a unique perspective of London. The River Thames now has a place alongside some of the world’s most famous locations on Street View and we’re proud it is the first river in Europe to be mapped using the technology.”

Ed Parsons, Geospatial technologist at Google UK, said:
“The Thames is the central tributary that Londoners like myself and tourists like to navigate by. The river also offers some of the most scenic and iconic views of London from arguably the best vantage points the city has to offer, and we are thrilled to be able to work with the PLA to share this with users from around the world through Street View.”